CNN) -- Tracy Rodriguez of Houston, Texas, is not a trained private investigator or police officer. But with a gentle tap on her iPhone screen, the mother of three can access information revealing the sex offenders who live within a 10-mile radius of where her children practice sports or watch movies.


Tracy Rodriguez, who is holding the iPhone, uses the device to locate sex offenders.

1 of 2  The information, provided by an iPhone app called Offender Locator, helps Rodriguez make more informed choices, she says. When the app pops open on her phone, there is an eerie sketch of a man's face. Then, the app asks for an address.

"I am constantly worrying about the well-being of my family," says Rodriguez, who uses the app several times daily. "You can't be too careful."

Since the iPhone launched more than two years ago, a handful of crime-fighting tools have emerged among the thousands of innovative apps. They give ordinary citizens the capability to sleuth and guard themselves against crime. Users can conduct a background check during a dinner date or avoid walking through a high-crime area.

The Offender Locator app has been downloaded more than a million times, breaking into the top 10 most popular apps list on iTunes when it made its debut in June.

Some BlackBerry models and Google's Android also offer crime-fighting apps. And the app industry is bound to grow, which probably means more inventive tools to fight crime. The Yankee Group Research Inc., a company with expertise in global connectivity, estimates U.S. smartphone app downloads will reel in $4.2 billion in revenue by 2013.

Fo

Why stop at sex fiends?  We should have a similar tracking service for all convicted felons, and possibly internet users WHO REFUSE TO STOP TYPING IN ALL CAPS.

Additionally, extend all those housing restrictions that now are applied only to sex preverts and apply them to felons as well.

Ultimately all of this will lead to the recommissioning of Devil's Island.

"I am constantly worrying about the well-being of my family," says Rodriguez, who uses the app several times daily. "You can't be too careful."


Paranoid much?

If we're gonna have a sex offender registry, we need a murderer one too.

If we're gonna have a sex offender registry, we need a murderer one too.


Might as well just make a people offender registry, and put everyone on there for saying offensive things.

Might as well just make a people offender registry, and put everyone on there for saying offensive things.


That probably will actually happen in parts of Europe at some point....

Why don't they just make an application that reveals everyone's record (if they have one) including bench warrents and traffic tickets.  Interesting how they target a certain group, I sense a witch hunt.  Apple needs to get rid of the application.  Some nutjob is going to go "pervert hunting" and use it as a tool to go as far a murder.

Might as well just make a people offender registry, and put everyone on there for saying offensive things.


Sounds like we need a much smaller registry ...for people who haven't offended in any way as yet! It's always good to know where these goody goody types are located... ;)

"You can't be too careful."
Yes, you can.  You can go way past the point of being sensible and into the paranoid zone.  That isn't good for your children, either.


Why don't they just make an application that reveals everyone's record (if they have one) including bench warrents and traffic tickets.  Interesting how they target a certain group, I sense a witch hunt.  Apple needs to get rid of the application.  Some nutjob is going to go "pervert hunting" and use it as a tool to go as far a murder.

It starts with the observation that sex offenders are among the most likely to reoffend, and that they are liable to remain dangerous to the general public (compared with, say, murderers the majority of whom don't - UK stats, anyway.. not sure what the case is in the US).. ditto child abusers are likely to abuse children if in the position to.  But it is still worth remembering that the number of "predatory paedophiles" (now ain't that an emotive phrase, almost designed to heighten fears?) is very low, most child abusers are family/friend and many of the people on the register are there from child pornography convictions having never touched a child in their lives.  IIRC, in many states over there, you can be put on the sex offenders' register for urinating in a public place

The effect of this app will be to make sensitive parents ever more paranoid, while having a vanishingly small impact on risk levels. All in all, it's really going to spoil life for a lot more children than it protects.

Let's start with the fact that most sex offenders live right at home with the child, or in his/her extended family.  It's 10PM, do you know where your "funny uncle" is?

You know else might like that "app"?  Other sex offenders!  Makes it easy to start your own sex offenders' club.  You can all get together for cider and donuts and talk about the life of good old sex offendering!
:D

I give it one year before some dumbass parent is looking up SOs on his/her iPos and the kid gets hit by a car due to the parent's innattention.

Ant

I give it one year before some dumbass parent is looking up SOs on his/her iPos and the kid gets hit by a car due to the parent's innattention.

Ant


Then they're going to have to create an inattentive parent app.

No, I'm sure there's a "make a parent so inattentive their kid wanders off" app already.  Dozens of 'em.

You know else might like that "app"?  Other sex offenders!  Makes it easy to start your own sex offenders' club.  You can all get together for cider and donuts and talk about the life of good old sex offendering!
:D


Hmmm.... You may have something there, Max.

Call it PervNet.  The service will make money by running banner ads for housing available to sex preverts that does not violate the various legal restrictions.  By enrolling in PervNet, subscribers will get automatic reminders that it's time to refresh their data at their local police station for the Sex Prevert registry.

:D

Hmmm.... You may have something there, Max.

Call it PervNet.  The service will make money by running banner ads for housing available to sex preverts that does not violate the various legal restrictions.  By enrolling in PervNet, subscribers will get automatic reminders that it's time to refresh their data at their local police station for the Sex Prevert registry.

:D


Yeah, the real estate agents can get in on it.  Heretofore unsalable properties become hot items among sex offenders if they don't have to put an embarrassing sign outside the house!

:P

Yeah, the real estate agents can get in on it.  Heretofore unsalable properties become hot items among sex offenders if they don't have to put an embarrassing sign outside the house!

:P


Like any real estate agent, a PervNet REALTOR® will wear a distinctive jacket, in this case Barney purple.  PervNet agents will also carry an ample supply of lollipops to give to the kiddies from the open door of their company-issued 1983 Chevy Van while trolling the neighborhood scouting for properties..

:D

Like any real estate agent, a PervNet REALTOR® will wear a distinctive jacket, in this case Barney purple.  PervNet agents will also carry an ample supply of lollipops to give to the kiddies from the open door of their company-issued 1983 Chevy Van while trolling the neighborhood scouting for properties..

:D


From PervNet REALTOR®:

4 br/2 1/2 btrm, cozy fireplace, hot tub, John Wayne Gacy-style crawlspace...

http://www.inthe00s.com/smile/05/freak6.gif

From PervNet REALTOR®:

4 br/2 1/2 btrm, cozy fireplace, hot tub, John Wayne Gacy-style crawlspace...

Jnr Sch ½m

Jnr Sch ½m


you guys are killin' me!